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to feed

to feed

870 1.0
To give food to a person, animal, or plant
  • verb
  • /fiːd/
translation icon : alimentar
  • Farmers must feed their livestock a balanced diet to keep them healthy.
  • feed the infant
  • breast-feeding
  • bottle-fed

Because I don't cotton to people who feed their cats kibble.

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Examples

  • Don't know why, but we feed them every few hours.

  • So they would feed the cows mangoes.

  • We gotta feed our baby.

  • Anyway, I'm going to go feed my baby bye.

  • If I am a farmer and cannot feed myself, what sort of farmer am I?

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We can't afford to feed her like we used to.

  • Jay and I used to always feed the leftover bones and things to that big pig you guys had.

  • So once she wakes up, you feed her if she's hungry.

  • She always makes sure to feed her dog twice a day.

  • After the rain, they decided to feed the plants with extra nutrients.

Synonyms

to nourish
vsto feed
49 3.2

To give food and care so a person, animal, or plant grows and stays healthy

is a simple supply of food or nutrients without health focus
to aliment
vsto feed
  • Archaic
9.9

To give food to a person, animal, or plant

is the everyday act of giving food or nutrients to someone
to nutrify
vsto feed
8.8

To give nutrients that help a person, animal, or plant grow

is the general action of giving food or nutrients
to fodder
vsto feed
4.8

To give hay or straw to farm animals

is wider applying to people animals or plants not only farm animals

Antonyms

134 3.0

To stop someone from eating so they become very hungry

Idioms

1 8.3

To reply to someone online who tries to start arguments, making them continue

9.9

To say lies or nonsense to trick someone

off one's feed
  • Informal
9.9

Feeling unwell and not wanting to eat or do usual things

off one's feed
  • Texting
9.9

Not checking social media feeds or posts for a time

Phrasal Verbs

69 2.9

To eat something or get strength and ideas from it

34 3.7

To take energy from something, like food or attention

23 4.1

To give information or ideas that change something

to force-feed
  • Offensive
10 6.5

To make someone eat by using physical strength when they refuse

To get energy or ideas from each other's actions

To put money into a parking meter to pay for parking

To give food to ducks at a park or pond for fun

To put extra fuel on a fire or make a disagreement worse

to feed in
  • Specialized
1 3.8

To keep putting something into a machine or system so it can work

1 4.9

To give news or information slowly in small amounts to influence what people think

To give information or supplies slowly in small amounts over time

to feed back
  • Specialized
3.5

To send data again to a computer program for more analysis

To give comments or information about something to the people involved

To get ideas or energy from something to help your work

Compounds

feed grain
  • Specialized
1 3.3

Seeds of crops like corn or barley that farmers grow to feed animals

1 2.8

Food given to chickens, usually dry mash

chicken feed
  • Informal
1 6.8

A very small amount of money that is not important

corn gluten feed
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A coarse food for farm animals like cattle made from parts left after making corn products

1.4

Food for birds, usually a mix of seeds and grains

creep feed
  • Specialized
6.8

Special food given to young animals like piglets or calves that adults cannot reach

drip feed
  • Specialized
4.6

A way of giving liquid into a vein one drop at a time

feed steamer
  • Archaic
9.9

A machine that uses steam to soften and warm animal feed before giving it to animals

feed bunk
  • Jargon
6.3

A long raised container that holds food for cows

A system that uses a pump to push oil under pressure into an engine's moving parts

line feed
  • Specialized
6.3

A character that moves text to the start of the next line

A part that automatically pushes sheets of paper into a printer

pressure feed
  • Specialized
5.4

A system that uses a pump to push oil to engine bearings

A system where a pump pushes oil under pressure to engine bearings to stop metal parts rubbing

How Much

to overfeed
1 3.5
to feed
870 1.0
to starve
134 3.0

Surface Forms

feed infinitive
feeding present participle
feeds third person singular
fed past
fed past participle

Etymology

The word feed comes from an old English word for 'food'. So to feed someone is simply to give them food.